Assumption Parish officials to meet with Gov. Jindal

Assumption
Parish officials are expected to travel to Baton Rouge to meet with Gov. Bobby Jindal.

The meeting
is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday. It was called after Jindal received flack for
not visiting the community affected by the massive sinkhole.

At this
point, Jindal has still not announced any plans to visit the site. He has also
not stated plans to make a trip to the area affected and meet with residents,
many of them still displaced. Texas Brine, the company that owns the nearby salt
dome, has been working to stabilize the sinkhole near the Bayou Corne area.

One
official, who asked not to be named, said the governor was right in saying state
agencies are doing plenty to monitor the situation and hold Texas Brine accountable,
but that Jindal needs to simply meet with the people affected to assure them he
cares. Another official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said
they are worried this could set a bad precedent.

"The governor
is meeting with local officials from Assumption Parish and state agency
directors on Monday to determine what more can be done for the citizens
affected by this event," Sean Lansing, press secretary for Gov. Bobby
Jindal, stated in a news release.

The
sinkhole has kept about 350 people out of their own homes for nearly seven
months now.

The Assumption Parish Police Jury reported the area west of Grand Bayou along LA 70 is no longer under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders because of the sinkhole, with the exception of a residential area near Bayou Corne.

The Assumption Parish Police Jury reported the area west of Grand Bayou along LA 70 is no longer under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders because of the sinkhole, with the exception of a residential area near Bayou Corne.